The Dressmaker and the Duke's Daughter
by ntlpurpolia
Summary: Nico di Angelo is the most revered dressmaker in town, even if he is also the town shut-in. When Thalia's father asks him to make twelve dresses for Thalia to go to the monthly dances, she ends up meeting him twice a week for a year during the dress fittings. And a budding romance begins to, well, bud.  Thalico, Percabeth, Frazel, Leyna and Jasper.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first PJO fanfic, so yeah. Review. Read it. Try to refrain from laughing at my horrible writing. And above all, enjoy!**

**Thalia's POV**

"But, Father, I don't want to go to the dances! I would study Latin before wearing one of those ridiculous contraptions you call dresses!"

"Nonsense, Thalia! You will go to the dances and that is final. Besides, I've already arranged for the finest dressmaker in town to make you a dress! Twelve dresses,in fact. One for each month."

" I'm going to _all_ the monthly dances?"

"Yes, Thalia. Why do you _think_ I had Nico di Angelo make you the dresses?"

"Nico Di Angelo? As in, the town shut-in?"

" Yes, Thalia. Keep up!"my father Zeus' voice boomed, and for a moment I could see why everyone was afraid of him, the Duke. Except for his brothers, Hades and Poisedon. They just thought he was annoying and conceited, which he was, but no one ever dared to tell him that. If they did... Well, off with their heads, as my father would say.

"Well, if I'm going to those "social gatherings", as you call it, is Jason going too?" Jason was my younger brother, and if he came, I knew Piper was going too. Then, I'd at least have some one to talk to.

"Yes, he is. And that cousin of yours... Peter?" He knew my cousins name, he just refused to say it because Percy was his brother's and rival's son.

"It's Percy, Father."

"Yes, yes, whatever. Anyways, all those classmates of yours are going. Athena's daughter, Jack* Gardner's daughter, the Stoll twins, that Beauregard girl and whoever she fancies this week, that _Indian_ girl, and the Latino boy who's always in the forge, Frank Zhang, the witch's daughter."

So Silena, Beckendorf -his first name was Charles, but nobody called him that, Annabeth, Katie, Connor and Travis, Piper, who was only half Cherokee but my father didn't care, Frank, Hazel, and Leo.

It didn't really matter, because my friends would be all paired up, and I'd be all alone as usual. The third wheel. Or in this case, the ninth.

Then I met the dressmaker. Nico di Angelo. I don't know what I was expecting. A portly old man with a maniacal laugh? A middle-aged bloke with a gruff expression? Whatever it was, it was not this.. This _boy._ This lad who was only a year younger than I was.

I stood in front of him, and completely understood why _di Angelo_ was Italian for angel. He had the face of one. Now, most people don't look at a thin, average height, black-haired boy with pale skin and features set into a scowl and think _heavenly being, _but I did. Oh, boy did I. I could see the hidden beauty in that frowning face, the eyes the color of obsidian that could swallow me whole, the sadness well buried in those jewel-colored orbs. Well-buried, but not so that I couldn't see it.

"Let's get started, shall we?" his voice startled me out of my reverie, and I blinked, surprised.

"You seem awfully young to be a dressmaker." the words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them, but strangely, I didn't regret it.

"If you must know, my mother died when I was young, and my sister passed away as well. My father abandoned me. I had to find some way to survive, didn't I?"his voice wasn't cold, but emotionless, like a table that has been scratched and dented but covered in polish to hide its scars. Flat, smooth, robotic. "But you don't have to know that, so let's carry on and take your measurements."

And so began my first day with the dressmaker.

***I don't know his name, I made up a random one**.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry last one was a bit short, I'm not used to writing long chapters. Thank you to all my reviewers:the Jamerican,lulu caty, goddess of idiots, and summer spirit 18! Anyways, enjoy!**

Two days after their first meeting...

I couldn't sleep.

The light filtering through the silk curtains, highlighting me as I tossed and turned futilely, did nothing to help with my insomnia. There was no chance of getting any rest, so I tiptoed out the door of my bedroom, trying not to wake anyone.

Outside in the gardens of the courtyard, I breathed in the scent of the flowers: moonlace, tiger lilies, violets, lilac, and pansies. Taking a stroll out here usually calmed me, but tonight it made me wish there were thunderstorms. I always slept better when there were thunderstorms; I didn't know why, there was just something soothing about the way the lightning flashed with the thunder in perfect synchronization, like they were waltzing.

All of a sudden, what sounded like a rock being thrown in a lake interrupted the peaceful night like a crack in glass. It was followed by the mutterings of a seemingly-intoxicated male.

"Why, Bianca? Why did you leave me? I was your family! You said you'd always be there for me... But you're not." His voice broke on the last sentence, and my heart did the same, shattering for this heartbroken boy who sounded so devastated I couldn't help but sympathize.

I peeked out from behind a clump of bushes, and there he was. Nico di Angelo sitting at the edge of the pond with his feet dangling in the water. I carefully moved to go back to my safe, warm bedroom in the manor, but just as I turned to go, I stepped on a branch. It cracked, not a loud sound, but enough to startle him out of his depressing tangent. He got up and spun around, losing his balance and falling into the water. His head popped out of the pond a second later, spluttering and choking. I couldn't supress my giggles, so I burst into laughter as I caught sight of him drenched in water with the muck from the pond in his hair.

Instead of getting mad and storming away like I thought he would, he burst into laughter with me, a deep, manly chuckle that didn't suit his dark, brooding looks at all. He yanked himself out of the pond, making my breath catch in my throat. Even with the muck in his hair, he still looked completely gorgeous...

The way his wet shirt clung to his defined torso made my heart do backflips. I remembered the way his fingers had felt brushing against my collarbone when he'd held the measuring tape to my chest two days ago. He wasn't as scrawny as I had originally thought he was.

Again, the sentence escaped my mouth before I could do otherwise. And also like last time, I didn't mind at all. How he had this effect on me, I had no idea.

"So, what are you doing here, you know, besides falling into large bodies of water?"

"My answer depends on how much you heard."

"Are you always so cryptic?"

"It depends on who I'm talking to. Sometimes, I don't talk at all."

"Lucky me."I put as much sarcasm as possible in those three words.

"Are you always this sarcastic?"

"It depends on how much the person I'm talking to frustrates me."

"What kind of frustration are you referring to? _Sexual_?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

I groaned, then scoffed, "Men. Such pigs."

I hadn't realized it before, but we had been gradually walking towards each other. Now, we were only a few feet apart. I turned away, refusing to look into his eyes, then stumbled over a tree root and fell... Right into his arms.

His wet shirt was cold against my chest, but his arms were warm and comforting. Unlike his eyes, which still remained the cold, jewel-like mask that they were two days ago. My nipples pebbled against the coldness of the night air. I shivered. I could feel his hot breath against my cheek as he whispered,

"Never say that."

His voice was husky, and it sent chills down my spine. I caught my breath and nerve just in time to ask him,

"Why not?"

"I'll save the answer for next time. Is that cryptic enough for you?"

Then he left me standing there, my nightgown slightly damp and mind absent. Then I crept back to my bedchamber,wondering what his answer was until I fell asleep. But even the I couldn't escape him, because he was in my dreams.


	3. important message

SOPA is back, that is right people, the bill that is threatening to take away our freedoms on the internet and beyond is BACK, and not only is it back, but it is trying to be passed quietly so nobody notices, SOPA will guarantee that anybody who streams a video, whether it be on youtube, a walkthrough for a video game, or a kid singing a song that is 'copyrighted' they will be treated as a felon, that is right, a FELON, do you understand me? YOU will be treated like the highest form of criminal for uploading a video game walkthrough on youtube, for singing a song on karaoke, hell, you could be arrested and treated as a felon for posting a screenshot... Now, why am I telling you this? Because this is only just the beginning, how long until Fanfiction is being attacked, how long until a fanfiction writer is being carted off to a maximum state prison for writing a character from PJO into their fanfic. I assure you that if this passes, it will not be long, oh no, it will not be long at all, because once this passes, then ANYTHING goes, Fanfiction will be attacked for writing, well, for writing FanFiction. We CANNOT let this happen! Don't believe me? Look at the links below, remove the spaces, see for yourself, and please, PLEASE spread the word and fight this assault on our freedoms, because this isn't just going to affect americans, oh no, IT WILL AFFECTR EVERYBODY ACROSS THE GLOBE! : 2013/08/07/unauthorized-streaming-felony_n_3720479 . html : blogs/the-switch/wp/2013/08/05/sopa-died-in-2012-b ut-obama-administration-wants-to-revive-part-of-it / : articles/20130805/12472124074/administration-cant- let-go-wants-to-bring-back-felony-streaming-provis and the video which caused us to find out about this horrible thing...remove the spaces, and spread the word... : watch?v=1fTt4K4Cae4 POST THIS MESSAGE AS AN UPDATE TO EACH OF YOUR FICS! PM EVERY AUTHOR EVER TALKED TO AND TELL THEM THE MESSAGE! TELL ALL YOUR OFFLINE FRIENDS AND FB FRIENDS! SPREAD THE WORD FAR AND WIDE! SOPA WANTS A FIGHT BUT WE'LL GIVEM A WAR!

SORRY IF YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS AN UPDATE.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up, the memory of last night still fresh in my mind. I wished it wasn't, because now all I wanted was for there to be a certain someone in my bed.

The bright sunlight came as a shock to my eyes, even though I should've been used to it by now, having been exposed to it for five minutes by now. I squinted, wishing for all in the world that I could go back to my bed, or better yet, my dreams.

But I couldn't, so instead I got dressed in a simple black skirt and silver top, pulling on brown riding boots because I'd rather die than wear one of those dresses that all the other girls wore, and my father said it wasn't 'ladylike' to wear pants. I always rolled my eyes at that. The skirt was a compromise... Or so he thought. I would change into a pair of boys' trousers -borrowed from one of the stable hands who I'd scared into lending them to me- the instant he left the over-large house on one of his many business trips.

But for now, my father was in the house at the dining table, waiting for Jason and I to come downstairs and eat breakfast with him (like a 'proper family', he always said). So I obliged.

Making my way downstairs while trying not to trip on anything because I was rubbing the sleep out of my eyes was an almost impossible feat. The marble, spiral staircase may have _looked_ very normal to any unsuspecting bystanders, but the staff, my father, and I would tell you otherwise. There were certain steps that would give way if you so much as poked them with your smallest toe, others that would trigger alarms when you touched the banister and put your foot on them at the same time. In other words, you had to be very careful on the staircase if you didn't want to end up in the hands of the guards or in a dungeon forty feet below, where you would stay until your eyeballs fell out and you shrivelled to bones and dust, my father was that unforgiving to burglars. Having lived here for eighteen years, I now knew everything about this place, but when I was a little girl my father used to carry me up the staircase, doing an intricate dance in order not to touch certain points, and I would laugh in delight, thinking he was the best father in the world. When had I stopped?

I shook my head to clear it before walking into The dining room and taking my place the mahogany table that could've seated forty, but now only seated three:Jason, my father, and I. Our mother had left when Jason was two. No one mentioned her.

The dining room was a rather versatile place, changing to suit the mood. This morning, my father must have been feeling cheerful for once, because the drapes were open, and the atmosphere was light and airy. Dust that used to cover the suits of armor resting against the walls were gone, replaced by what looked to be polish. A bright-colored tablecloth sat on the table; on top of it sat small vases of flowers carefully set here and there.

The scent of the flora and fauna made me remember last night, which would only serve to distract me from paying attention to whatever monologue or lecture my father had planned for this morning. That would disturb the happy aura that both him and the dining room radiated this morning, and nobody ever wanted to do that. So I pinched myself hard, letting the pain break my mind out of the direction my train of thought was going.

Unfortunately, it also caused me to yelp. Loudly.

"Are you alright, Thalia?" my brother asked, looking at me concerned even though I had been through worse. I wanted to roll my eyes at both his and my father's concern, because by now they should've known I was tougher than that, and not the kind of person to cry over small, silly things.

"I'm fine, I just stubbed my toe."

They seemed to believe me, and I sighed inwardly, relieved.

"I have an announcement to make!"my father, well, announced. "You are both engaged to be married!"

"What?"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Don't worry, Thalia won't be with anyone but Nico, I'm just putting in an arranged marriage to mix things up a bit. Also, I don't know how old Jason is in comparison to Thalia so I just made him sixteen. Also, do you think the plot's moving too fast? Should I draw it out a bit, make the story longer? Sorry for the length ran out of , here's the next chapter!**

I spat out the orange juice I'd been drinking, and Jason choked on the bacon he'd been chewing.

"But-But..."Jason and I stuttered in unison, in total agreement for the first time in out lives.

"Yes, Yes I know you think you are too young to get married. But back in my day, people were being married at fourteen! And the arranged marriages were planned from the moment one was born. Consider yourself lucky." My father. Oblivious to everything but himself and what he wanted. Part of me wanted to strangle him, and the other, somewhat more rational -by a tiny fraction, I can assure you- part wanted to shout at him that there was no way in hell that I was marrying anybody.

The slightly more rational part won out.

"How can you do this? I will not be anybody's wife, let alone submit to them!" and on, and on, before I stormed out the door and ran.

I don't remember how I got to the little house in the woods, just that I got there. I only remember the way my feet moved on the ground, silently, the way branches attacked my face and hands,and that one of my boots fell off and I didn't bother to put it back on.

By the time I arrived, I had no idea why I did any of the things I did: knocking on the door and waiting for it to open instead of turning back to find my boot and the way back to the house. That would've been more reasonable, but today was a very bad day for rational thinking.

Maybe I did it because some sliver of my extremely preoccupied mind said that it was raining and had been for a while, so I should seek shelter. Other than that, the reason I knocked on the door was one of the following: I was finally losing my mind, or sheer instinct. I went with instinct.

The door opened, and I swallowed hard at the sight of who was behind it. Nico di Angelo.

His hair was unruly, but that only added to his appeal. He raised an eyebrow.

"If you really wanted to see me, all you had to do was ask.


	6. Chapter 6

**If you've ever read North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley, you'll understand the first two lines. If you haven't, then read it. It's a good book. Also, I know the girl in the picture looks nothing like Thalia, I just like the dress and I wanted a picture for the story. And thank you to SummerSpirit18 for telling me Jason's age! Anyways, enjoy!**

"I don't want to see you."

"That's what they all say." _They? As in, other girls? _ "Then why are you here, if not to see me? If it's for the cat, he's out right now, so you could leave a message and I'll make sure to relay it to him."

"Very funny. I didn't intend to come here. I was running away from my father, and I somehow ended up in this dump." I snapped, curling my lip in false disgust.

"I am so hurt that you mocked my decorating skills, Miss Grace. Alright, then I guess you'd better run all the way back to your pretty little manor-house before it starts to rain, if you don't want to spend time in this _dump." _He said, putting a hand to his chest in fake hurt.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright?" That was a first for me, because I never apologized. Ever. "Can you just let me stay here for the night? I don't want to see my father, and if I stay anywhere else he'll find out. Please..." I gave him my brightest smile, the one I use to charm people into doing things for me.

"Alright, alright. You can stay. Dinner's ready, anyways. So come in." He opens the door and lets me in.

Inside, there was a small room with only a -surprisingly- neatly made bed, a stove with an oven, a small room that I assumed had a chamber pot, and two armchairs sat next to a fireplace with brightly glowing flames crackling in it. Alongside the stove was a small table and wooden chairs. A small -what else?- black cat lay curled up next to the fire, sleeping contentedly. He took a piece of wood and tossed it in the fire, poking at the fire with a poker so that sparks flew.

"Well, nice place you have here."

"Must you always use sarcasm?"

"I wasn't being sarcastic."

"Sure, sure. Whatever floats your boat."

He took a pair of oven mitts from a cupboard that I hadn't noticed and opened the oven, removing a covered dish. Setting it on the table, he bowed. Unfortunately, he bowed too low and his hair touched the dish, setting it on fire. He ran to the sink and I laughed as he put it out.

"Real smooth, Nico. Real smooth."

The said boy glowered at me before uncovering the dish so that the most amazing aroma filled the air. It was, coincidentally, my favorite food- chicken pot pie. I could already taste the crisp crust that would give way to the creamy sauce of chicken and vegetables. My mouth watered as I realized I hadn't eaten anything since this morning. Strangely, it was already dark out. **(A/N: For those of you who don't know, this book is starting in the beginning of October, the dances are the fourteenth of every month.)**

To my surprise, he bowed again. "Thank you, thank you. Now, are you going to eat, or just stand there and watch me eat this entire pie by myself?"

"Is it really a question?"

Apparently not, so I sat down and surprising me once again, he cut a generous portion of the pie and placed it on a dish before handing it to me. He then cut an equally large slice for himself, leaving a small sliver in the tin.

"Who's that for?" I asked, though it should've been obvious. The events of today had muddled my mind, I told myself, not wanting to admit anything else.

"Barney." When I gave him a strange look, he clarified. "The cat."

"Of course. Because it's everyday that I run away from home and straight into the one person I don't want to see and their cat is named _Barney._" I was ranting, but it had been a long day and I was tired and... What was I thinking? My thoughts always got tangled and twisted when he was around- or, when I was around him.

"Want to talk about it?"His voice sounded genuinely concerned, something I wasn't used to hearing. Everywhere else, people just sounded concerned because it was polite.

Before I knew it, I was spilling out my entire, short, sad story to a virtual stranger. By the time I was done, he had finished his pie and I was halfway through mine. He didn't say anything, or try to give me some advice. He just listened. And for that, I was grateful.

************************(LINEBREAK)*************** **************

**Back at the castle...**

**(No one's** POV)

Everyone was worried sick about where the princess had gone. The guards were worried because the king would have their heads chopped off for letting her escape, the ladies-in-waiting were worried because they wouldn't _have_ jobs if she never came back, and Jason was worried because, well, he was her brother.

Meanwhile, the king was pacing back and forth in his throne room, muttering to himself. Despite his gruff appearance, he was really worried about his daughter and hoped to find her soon.

"When I find that girl..." However, he never finished his sentence because a messenger ran into the room.

"My lord! My lord!"

"What is it?" The king thundered, and the poor servant nearly keeled over and died, he was so afraid.

"They have found your daughter's shoe in the forest and a path leading there. They are going to follow the path and find her."

**Will they find Thalia? or not... please review! It's my longest chapter yet, sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Read Forever? by x3hellokitty it's really good. Also if you review more it'll make me update faster! and give you virtual blue cookies! *pulls tray from oven and holds it just from you reach* "You know you want them..." AND 30 reviews= Friday update**

**Z****eus POV**

I simply could not believe my own daughter had rub off like that; it was absolutely unforgivable! Thalia was probably all alone in the forest somewhere just because she refused to participate or cooperate with me. That insufferable girl... Suddenly a voice broke into my long-ended angry mental rant.

"Sir! Sir!" Oh what did one of those pesky servants want now? Didn't they know by now to leave me alone and stay out of my way?

"What is it?"

"We found where your daughter could be! There is a small hut in the woods that her path led to-" Before he could even finish his sentence the Duke cut in.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go find her!"

"But-"

"No buts! You must search for her at once! Send for my best soldiers if you must. Well, don't just stand there. Go do something!"

"But-"

"What did I tell you about that word?"

"Alright, alright."And so the servant left, shaken by the king's mighty wrath.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **(Page Break)* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

**Back at Nico's place...**

Long after dinner, the two of them were chatting and laughing by the fire like old friends. All of a sudden, a knock sounded at the door, accompanied by a voice.

"I have instructions from the Duke to search this cabin. If you do not let me in, I will break down this door and all your possessions will be burned and your home ransacked." I recognized that voice; it was my father's best soldier, Jonathon Morgenstern.

I hated him, despised him, loathed him with every fibre of my being.

"Alright, just give me a moment." Nico scrawled something on a piece of paper and handed it to me at lightning speed. He pointed at a door that I had assumed led to an outhouse.

It was a small room, filled with half-dressed mannequins, several scraps of fabric sitting on a desk in the corner by a window, and a table with an intricately carved wooden top inlaid with jewels the size of my fist: scarlet rubies, emeralds as green as grass, cobalt-blue sapphires, white jade, sparkling diamonds like prisms when their many facets caught the light, and purple amethysts that took my breath away. It was littered with pieces of paper: sketches. Next to a fireplace hung a painting of a beautiful young woman with Nico's eyes and coloring. Following the instructions on the sheet of parchment, I opened the painting -which was really a door- and climbed into the staircase and waited.

((((((((((((((((( -* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *(Page Break)* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *-))))))))))))))

Meanwhile in the main room, Jonathon Morgenstern and his foot soldiers searched the house, although ransacked would be a better word. They tossed aside furniture, opened cupboards, and mainly did as much damage as they could without it being considered damage. But they didn't find anything- or rather, anyone. When they left in a rage, I heard Nico breathe a sigh of relief as he walked into the room I was hiding in and announced,

"The coast is clear, Thalia. You can come out now."

I emerged from my hiding place, coughing out dust and brushing the cobwebs from my hair. With a smirk, the witty retort made its way out of my mouth: "You should really clean that place."

((((((((((((((((( -* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *(Page Break)* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *-))))))))))))))

**No one's POV**

The rest of the evening was spent playing cards : poker, Cheat, Go Fish, and really any card game the two could think of. But the time came when the sky turned dark, the full moon came out, a round silvery lamp against the jet black sky that was the same shade as Nico's hair, and the stars shone like fireflies someone had dipped in glue and stuck to a black poster board.

"So, what are the sleeping arrangements?" Thalia asked, electric blue eyes sparkling mischievously.

"Well, you, being a guest, will be sleeping on the bed. I will sleep on the two chairs." The raven-haired boy replied.

"You don't have to treat me like that just because I'm a girl. I'd be more than happy to sleep on the floor."

"But that wouldn't be very chivalrous of me, would it now? Besides, the only other option is for us to share the bed, and no offense, but I really do not want to do that."

"Fine, fine."

((((((((((((((((( -* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *(Page Break)* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *-))))))))))))))

I awoke to the pungent scent of frying bacon, and blinked the bright sunlight out of my eyes attempting to recover the memory of how exactly I had gotten here and why I was here in the first place.

"Ah, Sleeping Beauty awakes. I thought you were going to sleep till noon. Come to think of it, I thought _I'd _be the one to sleep till noon, with that racket you make at night. You snore like a chainsaw."

Turning to see the source of the voice, I soon found it was Nico, and last night's events flooded my groggy head. But they soon drained away, chased off by the sight of a certain alluring dressmaker's bare chest and baggy pajama bottoms hanging a bit _too _low on his hips. I swallowed a moan and fought against the temptation taking up a very large area of my mind, deciding it would be best not to jump his bones before breakfast, or at any time for that matter.


	8. Chapter 8

**Filler. Random Percabeth fluff, Annabeth/Thalia banter**

After breakfast, Thalia had somehow found the way back to her father's manor, snuck in and

"What a waste of lined paper, don't you think?" An elegantly dressed southern belle asked her equally sophisticated companion, who was holding a black and silver lace fan; an odd choice of colour for a young lady not in mourning. She was referring to the said piece of paper floating in the nearby lake.

The two sat at a table, sipping tea while discussing the week's gossip: who was betrothed to whom, what so-and-so's mother had said -loudly and in public- about their taste in boys, and the dress so-and-so had worn to last month's dance.

"Only you would think of lined paper on a day like today." the raven-headed girl teased her friend, gesturing with her teacup towards the beautiful autumn day. The sky was blue, the air crisp and cool, bare branches of the trees forming a canopy soon to be covered with snow. Brightly colored leaves made a carpet on the ground, a telltale sign that it was fall. Annabeth shivered, causing her blond curls to bounce as she pulled her shawl tighter around herself. Thalia continued. "I'm surprised even Percy can put up with you."

The blond put a hand to her chest, hurt. "What do you mean? I am a very likable person! Unlike some people..." Her voice trailed off when she realized her friend was joking.

"Oh, don't be so serious, Annie. I was just joking with you."

"Don't call me Annie! And also, where exactly were you last night?" The fair-haired girl poked fun at her friend.

"At home... in my bed... sleeping..." Now it was her turn to be embarrassed.

"I'm sure." Annabeth smiled, her tone skeptical. "That would be exactly why my house was ransacked by your father's soldiers looking for you because he thought you had run away to my house.

"Because I know for a fact that you weren't at Percy's. And your dad checked Hazel's, Silena and Piper's, _and_ Katie's, and you weren't at any of them, so where were you?"

"What do you mean, you know for a fact that I wasn't at my cousin's house?"

"I was...visiting." Her cheeks colored crimson like the blossom in a nearby rosebush. However, unlike the flower, the hue didn't suit her. "Anyways, that's not the point! Where were you?"

"At... a friend's."

"What friend? Unless you went to stay with one of the boys, which I really don't think you did because your dad checked those houses too."

"I can't tell you. Besides, why would you be visiting Percy's place at night?"

"I..."

"Are you sleeping with my cousin?"

"What? No, that's... that's the most outrageous, ridiculous, scandalous thing I've ever heard."

"Whatever floats your boat, my dear. Whatever floats your boat."

"Speaking of boats... Guess where I was last night?"

"With that cousin of mine you claim you aren't courting on a boat."

"I'm not courting him, Thalia! Maybe I do have feelings for him, but anybody with eyes would! he's attractive in a way if you like boys with sea-green eyes and black hair that falls in the right way . But I don't. At all. Perhaps I like the way his favorite food are his mother's cookies and the way I have to explain things to him three times before he gets it. So what if I like the way he looks when he's shirtless or the way his laugh is the best sound I've ever heard. Maybe, just _maybe _I tend to stare at him when he walks into a room and maybe I like him in a more than friends way. It's possible that I think the way his eyebrows get scrunched up when he's worried is cute, or that he calls me Wise Girl. But just maybe."

_Just maybe._


	9. Chapter 9

**Time jump, or whatever you call it. It's the dance. I know the outfit might not be very old fashioned, but it's what I've had in mind for a while now so yeah. House of Hades is coming out in 2 days! *fan-girling like crazy* And now... What we've all been waiting for... Thalico fluff!**

My outfit consisted of a bright red, knee-length, corset-style dress with short sleeves, a skirt made of the similar fabric as one of a tutu, and a silky black-sequin-studded bodice. Worn underneath was a pair of black fishnet tights, the black strands interspersed with shimmery red threads that caught the light whenever I moved. These were partially concealed by a pair of black lace-up combat boots, the shoelaces replaced by crimson ribbons the same hue as the dress. The said shoelaces had been used to tie up the back of my corset-style dress. My only accessories were scarlet and black ribbons braided together to make bracelets, earrings in the shape of lightning bolts and studded with black and red gems, and a ruby on a -what else?- black ribbon that hung from my throat to rest at the base of my neck, along with black, lacy, fingerless gloves. My nails were painted blood-red and black to match my outfit, most of my nails painted red and the thumbnails black, all brushed over with a silvery, glitter-tinted clear coat.

"I never knew you were a makeup artist." I said to Nico as his thumb brushed my cheekbone while he was putting on whatever product -or, as I liked to call it, instrument of torture- on my eyes, making my heart skip a beat.

"I am a wearer of many hats."

"I really hope you're good at this. I don't want to look like a fool in front of everyone when I step in the ballroom on the arm of whichever suitor that my father arranged for me who will probably be turned down by me at least five times before the night is over."

A low chuckle, then, "You won't look like a fool after I'm done with you, I promise. After all, I'm the one who made your clothing. And come to think of it, don't I even get a word of thanks?"

"And... done." He proclaimed with a flourish, smearing the last of whatever cosmetic Aphrodite had created to torture people like me onto my face. He shoved a mirror at me so I could look.

What had he done? My eyes were rimmed with kohl, smudged lightly at the corners to look catlike despite the shocking electric blue color, my cheekbones shadowed, pointed in a sharp V, lips full and pouty, colored the same shade as my nails. My hair had been tamed into an elegant up-do, piled high on my head and held in place with two pins shaped like lightning bolts encrusted with red jewels, a few tendrils falling down to frame my face. I looked... amazing.

"My father is thanking you in gold and silver; isn't that good enough?"

A voice startled me out of my reverie." Actually, I was thinking something more like this." He leaned down -he was taller than me, a fact that infuriated me to no end; being five foot ten had me as tall as most boys, if not taller- his lips brushing my cheek, the simple act causing butterflies to erupt in my stomach. That was another thing I hated about him: he made me feel like a girl. One of those starry-eyed, pathetic girls in romance novels; a damsel in distress. I hated that feeling; it made me feel weak.

But he didn't stop there. His lips traced my jawline, my nose, my chin, everywhere but my mouth. Finally they came to a rest next to the jewel at the base of my throat. Using his long, slim pianist's fingers, he moved it aside slightly, and nipped at the sensitive skin there, leaving a hickey. Moving the gem back in place, he turned aside, opened the door, and announced,

"Your ride is waiting."

I turned towards the man who would be my date for the dance, leaving behind the one I wanted to be my date.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **(Page Break)* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"What's that?" Annabeth asked, arching an eyebrow. We were in the same carriage because we lived close, on the same street. We were neighbours.

"What do you mean?"

"Behind your necklace... How did you get bruised _th__ere?_"

"I have no idea." I lied smoothly, not wanting to divulge what had happened just yet."So who do you think Athena has you betrothed to?" I continued, eager to change the subject. Annabeth never referred to her mother by any term of endearment; they were colleagues, not mother and daughter. Annabeth came and went as she pleased, and spent most of her time at the Jacksons', with Percy, or at my house.

"Knowing her, it's _definitely_ Luke Castellan." We shuddered, then continued on to more pleasant topics.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **(Page Break)* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Luke Castellan wasn't Annabeth's date.

He was mine.


	10. Chapter 10

**Love you guys for reviewing! Also, Thalico fluff and someone finds out about them in this chapter . I'm going to buy House of Hades today! Yay! Thank you to SummerSpirit18 for giving me the idea of Thalia's going to slap Luke, because he's being annoying! Oops! *covers mouth and looks around* ****_I've already said too much..._**

"Quit it!" I snapped at Luke Castellan. That idiot kept stepping on my foot as we danced. I wanted to slap him.

"Quit what?" He asked, batting his eyes at me in mock innocence. Those eyes were the ones I'd fallen in love with. Then I fell out of love with him when I found out he was just using me for a bet with his idiotic friends. When I found out every sweet word, touch, caress was a fabrication, a fib, a _lie. _The last time I'd seen him he was running away from me like the coward he was, one side of his face bruised because I'd slapped him, and his nose bloody and broken from my punch. Just because I was a girl didn't mean I couldn't fight. Luke, apparently, had never understood that. I smiled inwardly at the bittersweet memory, wondered how he'd look now with a broken nose. black eye, and his face black and blue like he had the day I'd found out he was using me _and_ Annabeth.

He was taunting me because we were in the middle of a ballroom and everybody would be watching us if I slapped him or yelled or harmed him in any sort of attention-grabbing way. I gritted my teeth and thought of ways to torture my father for doing this when I got home.

"You know what you're doing." I retorted. It wasn't my best comeback, but it was difficult to focus on the waltz while thinking of good ways to insult people.

"No, I don't. Care to demonstrate?"

All of a sudden, the tumor of anger and frustration I'd been carrying around in my chest burst. My anger at my father, at Luke, at the world, for Christ's sake, the anger that only went away a bit when I was with Nico, good-heartedly teasing him.

I slapped him. Hard. On the face.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" He shouted, holding his face in one hand. I hoped I had broken his jaw.

Unfortunately, that was the last thing I saw before running out the door.

(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((( **********)PAGE BREAK(*****************))))))))))))))))))))))))))) ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

I don't remember the swift way my legs moved against the ground, the cool breeze whipping my hair back, or the tree roots trying and failing to trip me. I don't recall anything before running into a familiar, warm male form.

'Watch where you're-"

'That's not a very nice way to treat a lady, Nico."

"Well, you aren't a lady."

"What am I, then?"

He leaned close to me, wrapping an arm around my waist as his lips brushed against my earlobe, causing a chill to go down my spine.

"Even better."

I barely had time to react before his lips collided with mine, fireworks exploding behind my eyelids, and I swear I heard the Hallelujah chorus. My hands moved of their own accord, one reaching up so I could twist my fingers into his dark silky hair, the other moving to wrap around his waist as he turned, pressing me up against the cool stone wall of a building. His tongue ran between my lips, asking for entry, and I gave it to him. His lips were soft, and tasted somehow of cinnamon. He bit down on my bottom lip, and I made a sound halfway between a moan and a groan. He used his position to press our bodies even closer together, and moved his lips down my neck, past my jawline. I struggled closer but there was no closer. Unless...

I hitched my legs around his waist, causing him to stop his procedures on my neck. Using the leverage I now had being eye-to-eye with him, I kissed my way up his neck, leaving a love bite _just _next to his pulse point, and a noise escaped his lips that sparked something like adrenaline in my blood. My mouth moved of its own accord to his earlobe, nipping it as my teeth scraped the skin there, causing him to stiffen. Taking advantage of the moment, I ran my hands underneath his shirt, freeing it from the confines of his breeches. Slowly, I unbuttoned his shirt. Button. By. Button. I could tell that this was excruciating for him which elicited a smirk from me. HE undid the buttons himself, then tossed the shirt to the ground. I swallowed hard at the sight of his bare chest, wanted to run my hands over it, but he had my hands in an iron grip, and he'd turned the tables on me.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Because I'm a mean person and this story has other people in it too, not just Thalia and Nico, I'm going to keep you in suspense and dedicate this chapter solely to all the other pairings/ characters/ other in this story. And I'm not sure if the origin's right 'cuz I just made it up. Review if you think that Pink wrote True Love for Percabeth. (Because let's face it, it's their song!) And Reyna makes an appearance in this chapter. Percabeth fluff. No, this is a Jasper and Leyna, not Jeyna for all you Jeyna fans. But there is some one-sided Jeyna tho, in this chapter.**

**Annabeth's POV**

Insomnia: lack of sleep, or inadequate amount of sleep. origin: Greek, _somnus, _meaning sleep.

The words stuck in Annabeth's mind long after she'd read them. Along with so many other things, she'd memorized them upon first laying eyes on them. A useful skill, some might say, but to the insomniac girl in question at the moment it was simply irritating as the words, numbers, facts, and sentences buzzed around her head like flies, causing her to toss and turn futilely in the hope of losing consciousness.

Giving up on getting any sleep, she tiptoed out of bed in her nightgown, putting on a pair of slippers as she made her way out the door and to the beach, a scant five minute walk from her house. Upon arrival, she discovered someone swimming in the lake as she settled herself on the shore. Moving closer so her legs were dangling over the edge of the pier, she found that it was a familiar face: Percy Jackson.

Like many times before when she was with the boy, she spoke without thinking. "Have you lost your mind? You'll catch your death of cold in this weather! And in the middle of the night, too!"

"I haven't lost my mind, you've lost your mind! Coming out here in the dead of night in nothing but your nightgown..." This was familiar, arguing with him. As was the defensive tone evident in his voice. Quarreling with him was familiar, comforting, _homey_ in a way that only Percy could make her feel. They'd fought like cats and dogs since they were two years old : over a lost crayon, a stolen toy, anything, really. Why should now be any different?

"_I've lost my mind?_ If anything, _you've_ lost your mind, swimming in a lake practically naked in October in the middle of the night!"

"Actually I am naked."

"And not to mention- Wait, what?"

"Nothing."

"You're actually naked?"

"No, I just said that to make you stay."

Before she had time to react, or for her mind to even register what was going on (which was very, very odd for her, considering prided herself on being very level-headed, and her mother had raised her to analyze _everything. _But then, her mind was sluggish when she was around him, having never been able to process thought quite as meticulously as it did when she wasn't with him) he jumped out of the lake, grabbed her by the ankle, and dragged her down into the water.

She spluttered, choked, and would've nearly drowned in the icy cold water of the lake, had it not been for Percy's arm around her. A very well-muscled arm, she might add. _Don't think like that!_ she scolded herself. _You're just friends._ But still, he was so close... She only had to turn her head slightly to the right to press her lips against his. She wondered if they would taste like salt, to accompany his scent of the sea air.

She didn't have to. He kissed her.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **(Page Break)* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

**Reyna's POV**

I shoved another dress into my mahogany, gilt-edged trunk. I was packing for a trip to see my close family friend, Jason, in London whom I had not seen for two years or so. Sure, we had written, but it wasn't the same. I missed him. Missed his blond hair, sky-blue eyes, that scar he had over his upper lip that curved when he smiled. Fine, maybe I, Reyna, had a _tiny_, more than friends feeling for him, but it's not like he felt the same way. Whatever. I had more important things to worry about.

_Like if he's courting someone else in London? Some pretty, blond-haired, blue-eyed, voluptuous girl? Who's prettier, and more charming than you?_ I shook the thoughts out of my head. We were just friends. I was going to see an old friend whom I hadn't seen in a while, and catch up. Have some tea, chat. That was it. Right?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **(Page Break)* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jason was waiting at the train station when I arrived in London. The place was packed with people: parents saying farewell to their children, friends embracing each other, lovers reuniting.

How I wished we were the latter.


	12. Chapter 12

**PLEASE READ THIS! Thank u too SummerSpirit18 who I just realized has reviewed every single chapter! I luv all of u, reviewers, followers, and favouriters! Next chappie is Thanksgiving. Nico and Thalia are going to get married. Even if they have to elope, they're getting married. But they're not eloping. Love Lemony Snicket's books, he gave me the idea for Thalia to not get married to Luke even tho they're engaged. WARNING: Contains one tiny swear word. And Guest: This is not a Percy/Nico or Thaluke or whatever, so it shouldn't be awkward. And in my fic, Nico isn't gay.**

**Thalia's POV**

I jumped apart from Nico like his touch had burned me, and turned away as he proceeded to pick up his shirt from where it had fallen on the ground, dusting it off and putting it back on. Then I turned to see whichever unfortunate soul had interrupted my moment of bliss. It was Luke Castellan. Now he had given me an even _more_ valid reason to hate him. If that was even possible, of course.

"My, my, Thalia. I would've thought even _you_ were above canoodling with your father's servants. Yet here I stand, corrected."

"I wasn't_ canoodling_ with him. And he is not my father's servant. He's my damn dressmaker, you- Oh, whatever, you're not worth wasting a breath on. What do you want? Because if you're here to get me back, it's not going to work."

"Impressive. I _am_ here to get you back. But that won't be necessary. In fact, your father has already arranged for you to _marry_ me, just as he has arranged for your brother Jason to marry Piper."

"How do you know that?"

"I have ears, sweetheart. Ears."

"Don't call me sweetheart." I gritted my teeth, wondering why I was fighting the urge to slap him while at the same time pondering the most painful places to kick, slap, or punch him.

"Alright then, _Thals_." Only Nico could call me by that nickname, and even then I wanted to slap him for calling me that. I wanted to rip him to pieces. And then stitch them back together, put him in a meat-flavoured sack and throw him to the wolves to rip apart again. And watch the whole thing, eating popcorn from a safe distance away. And with Nico. _Definitely_ with Nico. Oops, getting carried away.

"If you ever call me that again, I will..."

"Will what? You wouldn't throw your fiancee to the _wolves_, would you?"

"Don't tempt me." I snapped.

Then, with the most impeccable timing ever, Annabeth came.

* * *

"What's going on here?"

"I have no idea. Maybe the fact that my _fiancée_ just announced that he's my fiancée by rudely interrupting me while I was in the middle of-" I caught myself in the nick of time, but it was too late.

"In the middle of what, Thalia? In the middle of snogging a boy you never bothered to tell me about?"

"I wasn't- How do you- " I was at a loss for words.

"He's still right behind you, Thalia."

A new voice piped up. "I think I'll just go..." And with that, Nico slunk off into the shadows, leaving behind no trace whatsoever.

"You, missy, are coming with me."Annabeth commanded, grabbing m arm in an iron grip like I was a toddler who'd done something wrong. I guess in a way I was.

"And you, you miserable excuse for a human being, are leaving." Luke immediately turned and left. Nobody questions Annabeth Chase when she's mad. Ever.


	13. Chapter 13

**I posted the links to Thalia's outfit for the October dance on my profile for anyone who wants to see it.**

We went back to Annabeth's house, where she proceeded to storm into the building, and order the cooks to make her two cups of hot chocolate with whipped cream, marshmallows and sprinkles, just the way we liked it. In addition to that, she barked out a demand for lemon cheesecake. Like I said before, no one defies Annabeth Chase when she's mad. In fact, I think the only person who did that and lived is Percy. And even then, he's never been the same.

"Tell me exactly what happened." She said, once we were in the vicinity of her room, on her four-poster bed, mugs of hot chocolate and plates of lemon cheesecake in hand. The bed was made, the room void of any personal possessions. She practically lived at the Jacksons' house; I assumed that was where her all of her things were.

"Okay- why is your hair wet?"

"Don't try to change the subject, Thalia!"

"Alright." So I poured out the story to her, my best friend. Why had I ever thought I couldn't trust her?

* * *

**Annabeths POV**

I listened to the story, feeling betrayed. How could she have hidden such a big thing from me? But then, I had also denied and lied to her about Percy. So didn't that make me just as bad?

"So, why _is_ your hair wet? I didn't realize you'd started taking baths at night."

"I... I haven't. I just... Percy threw me into the lake." I decided that since she'd told me about her and Nico, I should tell her about Percy and I, too.

Her eyes grew wide as dinner plates. "He did _what_?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Is it so difficult to believe?"

"Yes. Although you seem strangely, almost deliriously cheerful. Despite the angry aura you're emitting, of course. Did something happen _after _he threw you in?"

I was fairly certain I turned the same shade of crimson as the bodice of Thalia's dress. "We kissed a bit..."

"I can't hear you.."She mocked me in a sing-song voice.

I groaned. "He kissed me."

"Who kissed you?" She was taunting me; she knew very well what had occurred with whom.

"Percy Jackson, your idiotic Seaweed Brain of a cousin."

"I have to agree with you on that one... What exactly do you see in him?"

And the two of us started giggling uncontrollably like twelve year olds, the night's troubles forgotten.

* * *

**Thanksgiving, Thalia's POV**

The table was laden with food for the guests who had yet to arrive: either my father's business partners or relatives. Six roasted turkeys sat on the table, complete with cranberry dipping sauce. A tureen of cream of mushroom soup had been placed next to a cutting board stacked high with loaves of freshly baked, golden, crusty bed, which lay along a dish of baked beans. The aroma of mashed potatoes, absolutely dripping with butter, permeated the room. The cooks had simply outdone themselves this year; there was enough food to feed an army.

It was a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds: a brown tablecloth had been placed on our table, which would actually seat forty tonight. The silverware, wrapped in soft red cloth nearly the same shade as the burning embers in our fireplace and tied with orange ribbon, sat upon an orange plate. In addition to the flickering flames in the candelabras around the rooms, there were candles lying in muted orange votives, casting the room in a pumpkin-tinted glow. My father had unearthed the best wine from the cellar for the occasion, which would be poured -as usual- into the long-stemmed crystal wineglasses sitting on the table. I was old enough to drink this year- not that it mattered, for I had been mixing wine into my water since I was twelve. I was no lightweight.

The room would soon be filled with the sounds of people talking, a thousand different conversations going on at once. And of course, the sound of people shrieking in terror or surprise as they became aware of whatever pranks the Stoll brothers and Leo Valdez had deemed suitable pranks this year. One year, they had put a rubber spider in Annabeth's water glass- Annabeth, who was a known arachnophobic. She had chased them around the house with a steak knife, threatening to cut off their "family jewels". Since then, the event had been dubbed, "The Great Spider and Steak Knife Incident". I wondered what pranks they would pull this year.

I didn't have to wonder much longer. The doorbell rang.


	14. Chapter 14

**Tratie! In! This! Chapter! And! Leyna! Sorry, just overexcited... It's still October in the story, Thanksgiving's on the third Monday of October for Canadians. I know this year, that it's on the same date as the dance, but whatever. Pretend like it never happened. Not the dance, but... Oh, whatever. Just read and review. Tell me if I did Travis OOC****. Also, I posted what the Thanksgiving dining room looks like on my profile.**

**Travis Stoll's POV**

I arrived at the Thanksgiving dinner with Connor. It seemed normal: same fancy decorating, same pranks me, my mrother and Leo were going to pull, same people- wait, what? I nudged Connor.

"Who is _that_?" I asked him, pointing at a girl who had just walked in. She was beautiful not in a delicate way, but in a way that was feminine yet said she wasn't afraid to get dirty and could still chase you around the house with a knife if you crossed her. She had wavy brown hair the color of freshly-dug earth in the spring, green dress that was fitted but not overly so.

"That's Katie Gardner, remember? She's been here the whole time, you've never noticed? She's one in a line of many of Leo's failed attempts to court someone? Put poison ivy down his pants when he wasn't looking after he wouldn't stop bugging her? " My brother reminded me, a familiar mischievous glint in his eyes. I could almost hear the gears spinning in his mind.

"Were you just talking about me?" Leo Valdez had entered the already crowded room. He was wearing a button-down shirt, dress pants, and a tie, but still had on his signature yellow tool belt, a gift from his father. His hair was uncombed and as crazy as ever, but his clothes and hands were miraculously free of grease stains.

Leo worked with Beckendorf, who was a blacksmith and a quiet, physically foreboding man, at the forge. He was Beckendorf's apprentice. Beckendorf was engaged to Silena Beauregard, a bubbly outgoing girl who was Piper's half-sister. The two had nearly nothing in common, but their relationship somehow worked. They just clicked.

Then, inspiration struck me like lightning strikes a tree: out of nowhere,loudly, painfully, and usually causing the one being struck to scream, or yell.

"Connor! I have an idea for a prank!"

* * *

**Thalia's POV**

All of a sudden I heard Travis yell, "Connor! I have an idea for a prank!" Granted, it wasn't a very good way to tell someone because everyone else would hear and it would ruin the surpirse. But for some reason, no one seemed to notice, except me. Odd. I wondered what they were doing, so I snuck up from them, hiding behind a set of red velvet drapes to eavesdrop.

* * *

**Travis' POV**

"What is it?"

"Three words: Spiking. People's. Drinks."

"That's it? That's so lame! Can't we do something more like-"

"I'm not done yet! I meant Percy and Annabeth's drinks! Can you imagine the drama? They will get mad at each other over almost nothing, have a huge, dramatic fight, and then Annabeth will-"

"Okay, okay! I get the point! But you do realize there's another option, don't you?"

* * *

**Thalia's POV**

I stopped listening after that, having heard enough. The more rational, level-headed, and _small_ fraction of my mind debated with the more irrational, carefree, prank-loving side and lost. I shouldn't tell Annabeth because _where was the fun in that?_ I decided not to, then headed towards the lavishly decorated dining table, where supper was being served.

* * *

**Annabeth's POV, **

**When supper's over**

I took a gulp of red wine, frowning to myself when I saw that the crystal goblet was empty. Drowning my sorrows in alcohol wasn't usually my choice of pastime, but ever since Percy and I had kissed at the lake -correction, _in _the lake- he had been studiously avoiding me. When I went to his house he wasn't there, and when I saw him at the lake or the beach, he would leave instantaneously. It was, to say the least, very annoying.

Signaling at a nearby waiter who was carrying a tray laden with several bottles of wine, I tilted the glass back to get the last dregs from the very bottom of the wine glass. He refilled my cup. The server looked familiar and a bit like Leo Valdez, but by now I had consumed quite a large amount of liquor so I could've been wrong. The beverage tasted different. Stronger, more flavourful. I shrugged and swigged it back anyways.

So here I was, drinking like there was no tomorrow over a _boy,_ of all things, which Thalia and I had long since made a solemn pact not to do when we were twelve. _What a life, huh? _I was talking to myself, which I had a tendency to do when I was upset. But I was not upset, at al. So I was probably just really drunk. The kind of drunk where you cannot see straight and probably shouldn't get up, on the occasion that you might topple over, or walk into a lamp post. Or a bookcase. Or, like I did at that very moment, walk smack dab into another person.

* * *

I looked up. It was Percy. Of all the people I had to run into its the one who doesn't want to see me. Great, just great.

"You've been avoiding me. Why?" I blurted out. _So liquor _does_ take away your inhibitions_, I thought to myself, irritated that I had so easily let the words slip out of my mouth, like sand through a toddler's fingers.

"I..." I saw now that he was holding a glass, which, like mine, held an amount of liquor that was not usually consumed unless by drunkards or people getting over heartbreak. But he was neither... right?

At that exact moment, his drink spilled, splattering against my grey fitted dress* and staining the silken fabric crimson, which was coincidentally the same hue as my face.

"Sorry." He mumbled. Or at least I think that was what he said. It was hard to tell, with him standing so near me, his breath warm against my cheek. It would be so easy to twine my arms around his neck, press my mouth against his, feel his hands gripping on my waist as he pulled me closer...I could kiss him right now, he was that close. Just like that night in the lake... _Snap out of it!_ I told myself. _But he's so close... Oh, shut up._

I didn't realize I'd said that out loud until he, being the eloquent -sense my sarcasm?- Seaweed Brain that he was, had to ask,

"What?"

"Oh, nothing." I was surprised I was still coherent, considering the number of glasses of alcohol I'd consumed in the last hour on a not-so-full stomach.

He blinked, then said, "I'll get you a towel for your dress." I looked down, having all but forgotten that my dress was dirty, courtesy of the one and only Percy Jackson. "You're welcome, by the way." He left with a wink, and I sighed, once again having proven that liquor takes away all inhibitions.

He came back, having a retrieved a towel -no, _two_ towels- and handed one to me before using the other to dab at my dress.

I flushed at his touch: even through three layers of fabric -my corset, chemise, and dress- it burned me. Using one hand to dab at my hair -somehow the wine had gotten my hair- I set my drink down. Suddenly aware of how sore my feet were even though my shoes -black ankle boots with a buckle*- were comfortable enough I yawned, stretching, then without thinking, grabbed Percy's wrist to look at his watch. It was a long upheld tradition, my taking his arm to see the time, but now it seemed awkward. Everything was awkward between us now. I hated it, wished that night had never happened, no matter how blissful the moment had been at the time.

Speaking of time... No wonder I was so tired! It was half past midnight, and I usually went to bed at eleven. Of course, tonight being Thanksgiving -now eternally tinged with the memory of getting rather drunk- I had stayed up late like every other occurrence of the holiday.

"Well, I got most of it off but I think you can do the rest of it yourself, at home." He announced, and even with the simple sentence, tension filled the air, invisible but still as palpable as smoke: choking you and filling your lungs with its noxious odor.

"Okay. I have to go." I turned to go, grateful that -or so I believed- the uncoordinated moment was over.

"Wait." His hand caught the sleeve of my black jacket*. It was ridiculous, how that one word could fill my heart with so much hope. Just that one word. "Let me walk you home."

"Alright." I agreed without thinking, as I often did around him.

* * *

**Thalia's POV**

I sat on a bar stool, glass of wine in hand. It had been a dramatic evening to say the least. First, both Percy and Annabeth had been drinking nonstop. And Annabeth had broken our vow to never get drunk over a boy which we made as a blood oath! (Seriously, we pricked our thumbs with a sewing needle and pressed them together) _And_ they left the party together. All of those things had combined to make a very dramatic evening, but of course it had to be three things.

Which is why, Hazel came up to me and announced,

"Leo's kissing Reyna." Leo, of all people who had tried about a thousand times unsuccessfully to court a girl. It was madness.

So of course we went up to them to witness this miraculous event that would probably only happen once in a lifetime. Honestly, the last time Leo tried to court someone or flirt with them or kiss them, he'd ended up with his tongue stuck to a frozen lamp post in winter.

But then, someone had to ask THE question. (It wasn't me... right?) "How did you end up kissing Reyna, Leo?"

Reyna answered, breaking apart and leaving Leo to look rather forlorn. "I didn't do it on purpose! He was singing Christmas carols off-key and wouldn't stop! I had to shut him up somehow, didn't I? Besides, you listen to him singing Jingle Bells nonstop." We all shuddered at the mere thought. It was an awful noise, even worse than a dying cat playing the violin with someone scratching their nails on a chalk board in the background.

"You could just gag him with your handkerchief." Piper suggested, and Reyna shot daggers at her with her eyes. I assumed she hadn't gotten over the fact that Piper and Jason were betrothed along with the humiliation of kissing Leo Valdez, of all people. But other than that, Reyna seemed to be in strangely good spirits. It was odd.

"Et tu, Brutus. Et tu.** I can't believe it, Beauty Queen! You, betraying me too?" He put a hand to his chest in false hurt, but his brown eyes were cheerful, the usual slightly manic glint still shining brightly in them.

"Don't ever call me Beauty Queen again, Repair Boy. Or else I will appear in your bedroom at night holding a dagger. And a whip."

"Sounds kinky."

"Oh, shut up!" Piper finally snapped, sounding exasperated.

We all watched their banter with amusement, even Reyna, who seemed to be in slightly better spirits. I smiled to myself. It was an almost perfect evening.

_Almost, because Nico isn't here._

Damn it! He always had to get the last word! Even inside my head.

***link to Annabeth's outfit is on my profile.**

********Anyone get my Julius Caesar reference?**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Sorry if I did Jason OOC. I don't really get his character that well or his dynamic with Thalia. **

**Guest: Sorry, it's _to _actually. And no, you're not hallucinating. Stupid autocorrect on my iPad keeps changing everything!**

**Annabeth's POV**

I cursed myself mentally. _Why does he always have such an effect on me? Every time I'm around him, logic gets twisted until left is right and up is down. _The he in question being Percy of course.

"Goodnight." He said, being the chivalrous gentleman that his mother raised him to be.

"Goodnight." He leaned closer, closer. I could almost kiss him...

So I did.

* * *

I wrapped an arm around his neck, fisting a hand in his hair. His lips were salty and he smelled of the ocean like always. He placed his hand on the small of my back, pulling me towards him. His tongue slipped into my mouth and I couldn't think about anything but the pressure of his lips and tongue against mine. I shivered as he slipped his hand underneath my dress, and against the perimeter of my breast, thumb rubbing against my nipple. I draped my legs around his waist, pulling myself up so we were eye to eye.

My fingers threaded through his raven locks, and he pushed me against the cool stone wall of the house. I managed to separate my lips from his with tremendous effort, and maybe it was the alcohol, or the adrenaline from being so close to him, but the word that came out of my mouth was, "Bedroom."

* * *

**Thalia's POV, next morning**

I left the house early that morning. I was dressed -taking longer than I usually did- in a black long-sleeved cowl neck sweater and white cigarette pants under a long red trench coat with a grey wool hat, along with a similar scarf wrapped around my neck. On my feet were a pair of black, knee-high boots of the finest leather, and matching them were a pair of gloves. Even if it was silly, I wanted to look nice for when I met up with Nico. I wore no jewellery save for a ring: the one Luke had given me as a sign of our most hated -at least to me- betrothal. It was a ruby set in a silver band with diamonds on either side. Far too fancy for me, it was one thing I'd rather burn or sell than keep.

On my way down the stairs, I ran into my brother, Jason, who asked, "Where are you going so early in the morning? Shouldn't you be sleeping off your typical hangover after every Thanksgiving instead of getting up at the crack of dawn?"

"What about you? Usually you'd be at Piper's house, doing things that if anyone walked in on would leave them scarred for life and shocked speechless." I teased, not one of my best insults but what could be expected at -I checked the mahogany gilt-edged grandfather clock- six in the morning?

"No, seriously, Thalia where are you going?"

"Why do you care?"

"You've been acting... odd lately. There's something different about you but I can't quite put my finger on it."

"The only odd thing around here is that Leo kissed a girl last night. You're reading too much into this."

"Reading too much into what?" Damn it! He'd got me...

"Nothing. I have to go see Annabeth now. I have to ask her something."

"Isn't she sleeping too?"

"Jason. She's Annabeth. When have you ever known for her to sleep in?"

"You got me there. "

So I left.

* * *

When I got there, guess what I saw?

Nico in a tight embrace with another girl.

**I know I'm mean! But check out my polyvore account and follow me if you have one:**


	16. Chapter 16

**I have never done Hazel's POV before so tell me how I did. My arm is sore, I had to get the influenza shot yesterday... :(**

**Guest: Why would I give up on this story? I love this story. Don't worry I will never abandon it.**

**WARNING : RATED T FOR A REASON. MENTIONS OF RAPE!**

**Hazel's POV**

I now hated Luke Castellan.

In the short time span of one hour, he'd taken away nearly everything in life that was important to me: my privacy, the fact that Gaea couldn't find me, and most of all my virginity. I remembered the feel of rough hands on my body, tearing away my corset and dress, groping at my chest savagely. Remembered the cat-calls and wolf-whistles of the other men. Watching him rape me.

His hands had been brutal, chafing against my bare skin. Someone had tied my hands behind my back, shoved a gag in my mouth, and a blindfold over my eyes. I recalled struggling against the bonds that tied me back, trying to punch someone and kick at anything I could reach futilely, before collapsing. It was hopeless. They were too strong.

I'd given up, just let them have their way with me as tears ran out from under the blindfold at the pain and anger. I stifled them. What had my -deceased- mother always told me? I could not let them see me cry, would not let them. So I smothered the sobs that threatened to burst out of my gag, trying not to weep.

It was just like what had happened the week after my mother had passed away.

* * *

_"Are you alright, dear?" __A voice asked. I looked up from the bushes I was scouring for berries, finding none since it was winter in London._

_The woman was tall, with hair a bit like mine in its colour, and eyes like the earth: deep and bottomless and cold, though I hadn't seen it then. Gaea._

_"No." I had restrained my sobs then, too._

_"Come with me. I'll take care of you."_

_But she hadn't. She'd taken me to a brothel to be a whore, to be used, and abused and broken. _

_No one had ever really taken away my virginity, simply touched me in places no one should ever be touched and called me names and leered at me. I could still feel their hungry eyes watching me when I walked up to my small room in the brothel to retch and sleep._

_Then Nico had come in, looking for a source of comfort as small as it might be, after his sister's death. He'd seen me and paid for my freedom with a thousand pounds. How he'd had the money, I had no idea. _

_Gaea was happy to let me go, after having such a copious amount of money and I was never the best prostitute there anyways. That was Drew, who had taunted me late into the hours of the night in the room we shared with three other girls. They had been nicer, Hera and Medea and Khione. At least they didn't speak to me. _

_Nico had taken me in like his sister, but deep inside I knew he was just looking for a replacement for Bianca. _

_Then he'd married me off to Frank. I'd been fifteen then, doing small jobs here and there to make ends meet: laundry, running errands, as a seamstress' apprentice. _

_"I don't want to marry him!" I'd protested. "What if he's like... like those men who went to Gaea's brothel?" I shuddered at the thought of Alyconeus._

_"I can assure you, Hazel, I would not marry you off to anyone who abuses anything_, _ let alone any_one._"_

_So I'd met him a scant six months before the wedding, and my fears were relieved. If anything, Frank Zhang was the total opposite of the men there. While he had the bulk and body of a Roman gladiator, he was sweet, and gentle and endearingly clumsy at times. He'd intended on going to America for the gold rush but boarded the wrong ship and ended up in London instead, he'd told me once. _

_And now here I was._

* * *

**Annabeth's POV**

I awoke and instantly knew something was wrong.

For starters, there was sunlight filtering in through the blue -my mother said that the colour soothed the mind- drapes. I never, ever sleep past dawn, and since it was already winter, dawn was later than usual. Second of all,

THERE

WAS

SOMEONE

ELSE

IN

MY

BED.

**So, what do you think Annabeth's reaction will be?**


End file.
